Alert peripheral for notification of events occurring on a programmable user equipment with communication capabilities

ABSTRACT

An alert peripheral device that provides sensory notification to a user of the device includes: a power subsystem; a communication mechanism by which notification signals is received from a first user equipment (UE) that generates and transmits the notification signals in response to detection of specific events at the first UE; and a response notification mechanism that provides a sensory response of the peripheral device following receipt of a notification of a detected event (NDE) signal. The device further includes an embedded controller coupled to each of the other components and which includes firmware that when executed on the embedded controller configures the embedded controller to: establish a communication link between the communication mechanism and the first UE; and in response to detecting a receipt of the NDE signal from the first UE, trigger the response notification mechanism to exhibit the sensory response.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/988,416, filed Jan. 5, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/803,730, filed Mar. 14, 2013, which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to electronic peripherals andin particular to wearable electronic peripherals that cancommunicatively connect with a user equipment (UE). Still moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to wearable electronicperipherals that provide alerts of events occurring on acommunicatively-connected UE.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Personal electronic devices or user equipment (UE), such as smartphones, tablets, e-readers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), andothers are widely utilized. These UEs can generally be programmed totrack and report on the pending status or occurrence of certain events,including calendared events on an electronic calendar or scheduledalarms on a timer of the UE. Other trackable events can include openingof certain programs on the UE, reaching specific pre-set milestones,receiving emails and/or text messages, detecting incoming calls, missedcalls, and/or voicemails, completion of an automated (or a manual) taskon the UE, e.g., downloading an application, and others. When one ormore of these trackable events are completed, the UE can be programmedto provide a user notification in the form of a beep or ring, or othernotification type. However, the user is required to be in proximity ofthe UE in order to become aware of the notification. Often, a user ofthe UE puts the UE down, places the UE in a case of bag, and/or movesaway from the location of the UE, such that the user does not receiveand/or is unaware of the notification that indicates that the specificevent is occurring or is scheduled to occur.

Most users or owners of these UEs typically also wear articles ofclothing or accessories such as jewelry, watches, headbands, eyeglasses, Bluetooth® headsets, etc. Some of these accessories are acommon part of the user's attire and/or “look”. These items are alsolocated on the user as opposed to the UEs, which can be left in the car,office, bag, or elsewhere, where the UE is out of the user's sensoryspace.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will best be understood by reference to the followingdetailed description of illustrative embodiments when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 provides a block diagram representation of an example alertperipheral device configured with various functional components thatenable one or more of the described features of the disclosure,according to one or more embodiments;

FIG. 2 provides a sliced schematic showing multiple layers of theexample alert peripheral device, with functional layers identified,according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example wearable ecosystem on which the examplealert peripheral device can be attached, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example communication device that operates as afirst user equipment (UE), which provides notification signals to theperipheral component, in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method by which the alertperipheral device responds to receive of a notification signal based ona configuration of the device, according to one or more embodiments; and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method by which a first UE isconfigured to utilize an alert peripheral device to providenotifications of an event occurring on the first UE, according to one ormore embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure provide one ormore configurations of an alert peripheral device that provides one ormore sensory notification(s) to a user of the alert peripheral device ofan event occurring on a user equipment (UE) to which the alertperipheral device is communicatively connected. The alert peripheraldevice includes: a power subsystem that supplies power to the peripheraldevice; a communication mechanism by which notification signals isreceived by the peripheral device from a first UE that generates andtransmits the notification signals in response to detection of specificevents at the first UE; and a response notification mechanism thatprovides a sensory response of the peripheral device following receiptof a “notification of a detected event” (NDE) signal. The alertperipheral device further includes an embedded controller coupled toeach of the power subsystem, the communication mechanism, and theresponse notification mechanism. The embedded controller includesfirmware that when executed on the embedded controller configures theembedded controller to: establish a communication link between thecommunication mechanism and the first UE; and in response to detecting areceipt of the NDE signal from the first UE, trigger the responsenotification mechanism to exhibit the sensory response

According to one aspect, the peripheral device is attached to one of asecond user equipment, user apparel, jewelry, and/or other accessorythat is worn by the user in a location relative to a sensory organ ofthe user at which a sensory notification emanating from the peripheraldevice can be detected by the user. Also, the response notificationmechanism provides at least one of a tactile response, a thermalresponse, a visual response, and an auditory response following receiptof the NDE signal. Further, the firmware that triggers the responsenotification mechanism comprises firmware that configures the embeddedcontroller to generate and forward a trigger signal to a component ofthe peripheral device responsible for exhibiting a respective one of thetactile response, the thermal response, the visual response, and theauditory response.

In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure, specific exemplary embodiments in which the various aspectsof the disclosure may be practiced are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is tobe understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical,architectural, programmatic, mechanical, electrical and other changesmay be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure isdefined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Within the descriptions of the different views of the figures, similarelements are provided similar names and reference numerals as those ofthe previous figure(s). The specific numerals assigned to the elementsare provided solely to aid in the description and are not meant to implyany limitations (structural or functional or otherwise) on the describedembodiment. It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity ofillustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarilybeen drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elementsare exaggerated relative to other elements.

It is understood that the use of specific component, device and/orparameter names, such as those of the executing utility, logic, and/orfirmware described herein, are for example only and not meant to implyany limitations on the described embodiments. The embodiments may thusbe described with different nomenclature and/or terminology utilized todescribe the components, devices, parameters, methods and/or functionsherein, without limitation. References to any specific protocol orproprietary name in describing one or more elements, features orconcepts of the embodiments are provided solely as examples of oneimplementation, and such references do not limit the extension of theclaimed embodiments to embodiments in which different element, feature,protocol, or concept names are utilized. Thus, each term utilized hereinis to be given its broadest interpretation given the context in whichthat terms is utilized.

As further described below, implementation of the functional features ofthe disclosure described herein is provided within processing devicesand/or structures and can involve use of a combination of hardware,firmware, as well as several software-level constructs (e.g., programcode and/or program instructions and/or pseudo-code) that execute toprovide a specific utility for the device or a specific functionallogic. The presented figures illustrate both hardware components andsoftware and/or logic components.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardwarecomponents and basic configurations depicted in the figures may vary.The illustrative components are not intended to be exhaustive, butrather are representative to highlight essential components that areutilized to implement aspects of the described embodiments. For example,other devices/components may be used in addition to or in place of thehardware and/or firmware depicted. The depicted example is not meant toimply architectural or other limitations with respect to the presentlydescribed embodiments and/or the general invention.

The description of the illustrative embodiments can be read inconjunction with the accompanying figures. Embodiments incorporatingteachings of the present disclosure are shown and described with respectto the figures presented herein.

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is depicted a block diagram representationof an example alert peripheral device configured with various functionalcomponents that enable one or more of the described features of thedisclosure, according to one or more embodiments. Alert peripheraldevice (APD) 100 includes an embedded controller (EC) 105communicatively coupled to a power subsystem 110, communicationmechanism 115, and one or more response notification mechanisms 120. EC105 includes EC firmware 107 that executes on EC 105 to trigger thevarious notification functions described herein. Power subsystem 110supplies power to the components of the peripheral device. Powersubsystem 110 is coupled via a power distribution system of wires (notshown) to each of the plurality of components within APD 100 and can becontrolled by EC 105 to provide power to specific ones of thecomponents, as needed. In the illustrative embodiment, power subsystem110 includes a battery 112 and an energy conversion mechanism 114.Battery 112 can be a rechargeable battery, in one or more embodiments.Energy conversion mechanism 114 can be any one of a plurality ofdevices, including, without limitation, a thermopile, a near fieldcommunication charger, a solar converter, a motion-to-energy converter,and an external power charging connector.

Communication mechanism 115 enables APD 100 to communicatively connectwith and receive notification signals 175 from a user equipment (UE),such as first UE 170. The communication mechanism can support a wired ora wireless communication; however it is appreciated that the wirelesscommunication allows for untethered use of the APD 100 separate from thefirst UE 170. As a device supporting wireless communication, thecommunication mechanism 115 can be at least one of a Bluetooth® receiverand a near field communication (NFC) receiver, in one or moreembodiments.

As described in greater detail throughout the disclosure, communicationmechanism enables the receipt of notification signals 175, which can bereceived by the APD 100 from a first UE 170 that generates and transmitsthe notification signals 175 in response to detection of specific eventsat the first UE. The received notification signal is referred tohereinafter as “notification of a detected event” (NDE) signal 175.

Response notification mechanism(s) 120 generally represents one or morenotification devices or components that provide a sensory response(i.e., a response that can be sensed by the user or wearer of APD 100)of the APD 100 following receipt of a “notification of a detected event”(NDE) signal 175. As shown, among the possible response notificationmechanism(s) 120 are at least one light source 125, which for purposesof the disclosure is presented as at least one light emitting diode(LED) and hereinafter referenced as LED 125. The light source/LED 125can be affixed to or protruding from the external casing of the APD 100and visible on the exterior. Additionally or alternatively, the responsenotification mechanism(s) 120 can include a piezo subsystem comprised ofa piezo driver 130 coupled to one or both of a piezo-actuator 135 and asensor 137. In one embodiment, the sensor 137 is a pressure sensor thatcan be utilized to stop the presentation by the APD 100 of anotification to the user. In one implementation, only a piezo driver 130is provided, and the piezo driver 130 can then provide the functions ofan actuator (providing a vibration/pressure pulse) and/or also functionas a sensor to detect pressure. With the use of the piezo driver 130and/or separate sensor 137, once the NDE signal 175 is received and thenotification is actuated on APD 100, the user can simply press on thesurface of the accessory, jewelry, clothing, etc. in/to which the APD isembedded or attached. The APD 100 on detecting the pressure will stopissuing the notification.

Additionally and/or alternatively to the aforementioned notificationmechanisms, response notification mechanism(s) 120 can include a speakerand an audio generation component. Also, the response notificationmechanism(s) 120 can also include at least one of (i) a heat emitterthat increases its temperature above that of the proximate surroundingsresulting in the user experiencing a heating sensation and (ii) a heatsink that decreases its temperature relative to its proximatesurrounding resulting in the user experiencing a cooling sensation. Inone embodiment, the functionality of the heat emitter and/or heat sinkis achieved using a thermoelectric plate capable of increasing ordecreasing the surface temperature by a few degrees, thus imparting aheating or cooling sensation to the user. In another embodiment, thethermoelectric generator can also be utilized to provide this heatingand cooling function. One or more alternate embodiments can provide ageneral other 160 representing any one of multiple other types ofnotification mechanisms 120 that operate on similar principles as thespecific mechanisms illustrated and described herein, withoutlimitation.

FIG. 2 provides a sliced schematic showing multiple layers of theexample alert peripheral device 200, with several functional layersidentified, according to one embodiment. Five functional layers arepresented; however, it is appreciated that the various layers can be allintegrated on a single circuit board or chassis, in one embodiment, orbe arranged in a different order and/or have a different number offunctional layers, in other embodiments. The layered presentation isthus provided solely for illustration. FIG. 2 is described withreference to components and corresponding reference numerals presentedin FIG. 1. First layer 210 includes the underlying circuit 214 andbattery 112. The underlying circuit 214 can include the EC 105 and othercomponents, such as communication mechanism 115, in one embodiment.Additionally, first layer 210 includes at least one light source, LED125, with three such light sources illustrated. In one embodiment, eachlight source can represent a different color LED, and the specific LEDthat is illuminated can be correlated to a specific one of multipledifferent notification types supported by the APD 200. For example, thelight sources may include a red, blue, and a yellow LED, with each coloror combination of colors selected to represent a different notification.First layer 210 include a front or back cover which connects with asecond cover (illustrated as fifth layer 250) to provide the exteriorcasing of the alert peripheral device 200.

Second layer 220 of APD 200 includes thermoelectric generator 225, whichis a specific implementation of power energy conversion mechanism 114(FIG. 1). Third layer 230 generally includes piezo subsystem 235, whichcan include a piezo driver 130, piezo actuator 135, and sensor 137 (FIG.1). Fourth layer 240 includes other response notification mechanisms245, which in one or more embodiments can include at least one of audiocomponent 140 and speaker 145, heat emitter 150, heat sink 155, or othermechanism 160 (FIG. 1). Finally, fifth layer 250 is an external cover,which connects to cover portion of first layer 210 with all other layerssandwiched in between to collectively represent example APD 200. It isappreciated that one or more of the notification mechanism, e.g., thepiezo actuator and/or piezo sensor, can be embedded in the cover (250)or other external casing of the APD 200 to allow for maximum sensoryeffect when the notification mechanism is activated.

Referring generally to FIGS. 1 and 2, as introduced above, the EC 105 ofthe alert peripheral device 100 further includes EC firmware 107. Whenexecuted, the EC firmware 107 configures the embedded controller to:establish a communication link between the communication mechanism 115and the first UE 170; and in response to detecting a receipt of the NDEsignal 175 from the first UE 170, trigger the response notificationmechanism(s) 120 to exhibit the supported sensory response. Based onwhich of the notification mechanisms are supported by the APD 100, theEC 105 triggers the response notification mechanism(s) 120 to provide atleast one of a tactile response, a thermal response, a visual response,and an auditory response, following receipt of the NDE signal 175.Accordingly, the EC firmware 107 triggering the response notificationmechanism includes the EC firmware 107 configuring the embeddedcontroller 105 to generate and forward a trigger signal (not shown) tothe specific component(s) of the response notification mechanisms 120responsible for exhibiting a respective one of the tactile response, thethermal response, the visual response, and the auditory response.

According to a one embodiment in which the response notificationmechanism 120 includes the at least one light source, the EC firmware107 configures the embedded controller 105 to trigger the powersubsystem 110 to provide power to the at least one light source (LED125) to illuminate a portion of the alert peripheral device 100/200. Inone or more alternate embodiments, the embedded controller 105 controlsthe LED 125 and the power subsystem 110 to provide a visual notificationcomprising one or more of: illumination of the LED 125; illumination ofthe LED 125 in one of a plurality of different colors, each indicativeof a different notification parameter; and flickering of the LED 125.

In another embodiment, in which the response notification mechanism 120includes a piezo subsystem having at least one of a piezo driver 130and/or a piezo actuator 135, the EC firmware 107 configures the embeddedcontroller 105 to trigger the piezo subsystem (i.e., the piezo driver130 and/or the piezo actuator 135) to generate at least one of a pulseand a vibration of the alert peripheral device 100/200. In yet anotherembodiment, in which the response notification mechanism 120 includes anaudio generation component 140 and speaker 145, the EC firmware 107configures the embedded controller 105 to trigger the audio generationcomponent 140 to generate and forward to the speaker 145 a specificaudio that emanates from the peripheral device 100/200 as an audionotification. And, in one or more additional embodiments, where theresponse notification mechanism 120 can be a temperature controllingmechanism, such as a heat emitter 150 and/or a heat sink 155, the ECfirmware 107 configures the embedded controller 105 to trigger the powersubsystem 110 to perform one of (a) provide power to the heat emitter150 to increase the sensed temperature of the heat emitter 150 and (b)activate the heat sink 155 to decrease the sensed temperature of theperipheral device 100/200 experienced by the user.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, the above introduced piezosubsystem further comprises a pressure sensor. Then, in response todetection via the pressure sensor of an application of external pressureon the alert peripheral device, the embedded controller 105 triggers atermination by the triggered sensory mechanism of the sensory response.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, the APD 100/200 can beattached to one of a second UE, user apparel, an accessory, and/orjewelry. The item to which the APD 100/200 is attached can be one thatis worn by the user in a location relative to a sensory organ of theuser at which a specific sensory notification emanating from theperipheral device can be detected by the user. The type of sensorynotification supported can also determine the configuration of the APD100/200 as is the type of item to which the APD 100/200 is likely to beattached. In one implementation, as illustrated by FIG. 3, APD 100 canbe attached to the back of a watch 305. FIG. 3 illustrates an examplewearable ecosystem 300 on which the example peripheral device can beattached, according to one embodiments. In FIG. 3, which illustrates onepossible ecosystem 300 in which the APD 100 can be utilized, wrist watch305 includes a band 310 for securing the watch to the hand or wrist ofthe user. Watch also includes a face (not shown) and a back (partiallyshown). Alert peripheral device 100 is designed as a flat or thinelectronics that can be attached to the back or rear surface of thewrist watch 305 without adding a significant amount of depth to thewatch, such that the user of the watch 305 may not be immediately awareof the presence of APD 100. The exposed back cover 250 of APD 100 comesinto contact with the skin of the user when the watch 305 is worn andthe cover 250 can thus be utilized as the medium for transmitting pulsesor vibrations (via piezo driver 130 or actuator 135) or heat and/or coolsensation (via heat emitter or heat sink), among other possible sensorynotification types. As shown at the sides of APD 100, a plurality ofLEDs 125 can also be illuminated, and the illumination would be visibleon the hand of the user of the watch. Use of illumination as thenotification mechanism can be triggered by a time of day or ambientlight strength, in one embodiment, where the light source notificationis triggered only when there is not an abundance of ambient light tomask the LED illumination. The sides of the APD or a porous portion ofthe cover 250 can also be utilized to provide audio output (such as abeep, buzz, ring, or other programmable response audio as thenotification mechanism, in one or more embodiments.

In at least one embodiment, the APD 100/200 can be a separate userdevice that is carried or worn by a user of the first UE. In thisembodiment, the APD 100/200 is not necessarily attached to anotherdevice. For example, the peripheral device can be made of flexibleelectronics, and is itself an accessory, such as a wrist bank or awearable pin or broach.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method 500 by which the APD 100responds to receive of a notification signal based on a configuration ofthe device, according to one or more embodiments. Method 500 enablesuser notification via APD 100 of events occurring on a first userequipment (UE) 170. Aspects of the method are described with specificreference to FIG. 1 and in particular the execution by the EC 105 of theEC firmware 107 on APD 100. The method begins at start block andproceeds to block 502 at which method 500 provides configuring theperipheral device to exhibit a sensory response, via a responsenotification mechanism, on receipt of a notification of a detected event(NDE) signal from the first UE. Method 500 then includes establishing acommunication link between the peripheral device and the first UE via acommunication mechanism (block 504), and then detecting receipt of anNDE signal from the first UE 170 (block 506). In response to detecting areceipt of the NDE signal, method 500 includes triggering theappropriate response notification mechanism to provide the correspondingsensory response.

According to one or more embodiments, identifying the responsenotification mechanism(s) (RNM) involves a series of determinations,presented at blocks 510, 514, 518, and 522. In the illustrativeembodiment, these determinations can be completed concurrently. Atdecision block 510, method includes determining whether the RNM includesa piezo actuator or peizo driver. In response to the peripheral devicehaving a piezo-actuator as the response notification mechanism, method500 includes providing the sensory response by initiating at least oneor a pulse and a vibration of the peripheral device (block 512). Atdecision block 514, method includes determining whether the RNM includesa light source. In, response to the peripheral device having a lightsource as the response notification mechanism and a power source, method500 includes providing the sensory response by providing power to thelight source to illuminate a portion of the peripheral device (block516). At decision block 518, method includes determining whether the RNMincludes a heat sink or a heat emitter as the RNM. In response to theperipheral device having, as the response notification mechanism, one of(i) a heat sink that decreases its temperature below that of theproximate surroundings and (ii) a heat emitter that increases itstemperature above that of the proximate surroundings and dissipates aresulting increase in heat energy into the proximate surroundings of theperipheral device, method 500 includes providing the sensory response bytriggering the power subsystem to triggering heat dissipation from theheat sink to decrease the temperature of at least one of the heat sinkand the peripheral device or provide power to the heat emitter toincrease the ambient temperature of the heat emitter (block 520).Finally, at decision block 522, method 500 includes determining whetherthe RNM includes a speaker and an audio generation component. Inresponse to the peripheral device having a speaker and an audiogeneration component as the response notification mechanism, method 500includes providing the sensory response by triggering the audiogeneration component to generate and forward to the speaker a specificaudio that emanates from the peripheral device (block 524). Once thenotification is generated, method 500 further includes ending thenotification after a pre-scheduled amount of time has elapsed (block526). APD 100 then continues on the cycle of waiting for a receipt of anext NDE signal from the first UE (block 506).

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated example communication devicethat can be utilized as or provide the functionality associated with afirst UE 170 that generates and forwards NDE signals 175 to the APD 100,according to one embodiment. In the described embodiments, the first UE170 is a mobile communication device which is configured to generate andtransmit an NDE signal 175 in response to an occurrence of one or morepre-programed events at the mobile communication device. According tothe general illustration, as a mobile communication device, first UE(UE1) 170 is designed to communicate with other devices via one of awireless communication network, generally represented by base station(evolution node B, eNodeB) 440 and antenna 442, and one or more pairingdevices, e.g., Bluetooth® 452 and near field communication (NFC) device454. UE1 170 can be one of a host of different types of devices,including but not limited to, a mobile cellular phone or smart-phone, alaptop, a net-book, an ultra-book, and/or a tablet computing device.These various devices all provide and/or include the necessary hardwareand software to enable pairing of UE1 with a second UE, e.g., APD 100,or enable a one way communication of NDE signals 175 to APD 100.Additionally, UE1 170 includes the hardware and software to support thevarious wireless or wired communication functions.

Referring now to the specific component makeup and the associatedfunctionality of the presented components, UE1 170 comprises processorintegrated circuit (IC) 402, which connects via a plurality of businterconnects (illustrated by the bi-directional arrows) to a pluralityof functional components of UE1 170. Processor IC 402 can include one ormore programmable microprocessors, such as a data processor 404 and adigital signal processor (DSP) 406, which may both be integrated into asingle processing device, in some embodiments. The processor IC 402controls the communication, image capture, and other functions and/oroperations of UE1 170. These functions and/or operations thus include,but are not limited to, application data processing and signalprocessing.

Connected to processor IC 402 is memory 410, which can include volatilememory and/or non-volatile memory. One or more executable applicationscan be stored within memory for execution by data processor 404 onprocessor IC 402. For example, memory 410 is illustrated as containingperipheral notification of event (PNE) module or utility 412, which caninclude PNE user interface 414, and other application(s) 416. Accordingto one or more embodiments, applications 416 generally represent one ormore executable modules of UE1 150 that can generate the various eventsthat are tracked by PNE utility 412. For example, application(s) 146 caninclude an electronic calendar, a timer, such as a stop watch or alarm,an email engine, a text messaging module, a voicemail module, andothers. The associated functionality and/or usage of each of the PNEutility as it relates to detected events from these variousapplication(s) 146 will be described in greater detail within thedescriptions which follow. In particular, the functionality associatedwith and/or provided by PFE utility 412 and the other functional modulescontained therein is described in greater detail with the description ofFIG. 6. It is appreciated that the various software modules can beindependent modules that communicate with each other via processorexecution of respective code.

Also shown coupled to processor IC 402 is storage 450 which can be anytype of available storage device capable of storing one or moreapplication software and data. It is further appreciated that in one ormore alternate embodiments, the device storage can actually be remotestorage and not an integral part of the device itself. As provided,storage 450 contains a selected events and notification data structure445, which includes pairings of specific events identified as beingevents of interest to PNE utility 412 with specific notifications 449that should be triggered when the particular event 447 is detected oroccurs on UE1 170. The specific usage and/or functionality associatedwith these components are described in greater detail in the followingdescriptions. As shown, in one embodiment, storage 440 also maintains acopy of the APD identifier (ID) 450 that allows PNE module 412 to knowwhich APD 100 to transmit the notification to. It is furthercontemplated that, in one or more embodiments, multiple different APDscan be supported by a single UE, and that specific types ofnotifications may correspond to the particular APD to which thegenerated PNE signal is going to be sent.

UE1 170 can also comprise a plurality of input/output (I/O) devices,including one or more input devices, such as camera 420, microphone 421,touch screen and/or touch pad 422, keypad 423, and/or one or more outputdevices, such as display 425, speaker 426, and others. UE1 170 can alsoinclude a subscriber information module (SIM) 427 which can provideunique identification information of the subscriber that owns orutilizes UE1 170, as well as specific contacts and device settingsassociated with the particular subscriber. In order to allow UE1 170 toprovide time data, UE1 170 also includes system clock 428.

According to one aspect of the disclosure and as illustrated by FIG. 4,UE1 170 supports at least one and potentially many forms of wireless,over-the-air communication, which allows UE1 170 to transmit and receivecommunication with at least one second device. As a device supportingwireless communication, UE1 170 can be one of, and be referred to as, asystem, device, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station(MS), mobile, mobile device, remote station, remote terminal, userterminal, terminal, communication device, user agent, user device,cellular telephone, a satellite phone, a cordless telephone, a SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device having wirelessconnection capability, a computing device, such as a laptop, tablet,smart phone, personal digital assistant, or other processing devicesconnected to a wireless modem. To support the wireless communication,UE1 170 includes one or more communication components, includingtransceiver 430 with connected antenna 432, Bluetooth® transceiver 452and near field communication transceiver module 454. Collectively, thesewireless components provide a communication means or mechanism by whichUE1 170 can communicate with other devices and networks. For purposes ofthe following illustrations and associated descriptions thereof, PNEsignal 175 is described as being communicated via Bluetoothcommunication, supported by Bluetooth® transceiver 452, withoutlimitation on the scope of the disclosure.

To support the mobile communication device aspects of UE1 170, thewireless communication can be via a standard wireless network, whichincludes a network of base stations, illustrated by evolution Node B(eNodeB) 440 and associated base station antenna 442. A firstover-the-air signal 444 is illustrated interconnecting base stationantenna 442 with local antenna 432 of UE1 170.

In addition to the above listing of general components, the specificimplementation of the disclosure relevant to the operations that affectAPD 100 provides a first UE 170 that includes: a processor 404; acommunication mechanism (434) by which the user equipment cancommunicate with at least one peripheral device 100 configured with acommunication receiving mechanism 115 and components that enable theperipheral device 100 to respond to specific notifications received fromthe user equipment 170; one or more applications 416 and firmware thatexecute on the processor 404 and which enable the user equipment 170 tooperate and periodically generate events 447 that are detectable andwhich are pre-identified as events of interest for signaling to theperipheral component 100.

Further, the first UE 170 includes a peripheral notification of event(PNE) module 412 that executes on the processor 404 and which configuresthe processor 404 to perform a series of functions associated withmethod 600 of FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method bywhich first UE 170 is configured to utilize an alert peripheral device100 to provide notifications of an event occurring on the first UE 100,according to one or more embodiments. Generally, method 600 can bedescribed as being performed by one or more of UE1 100, processor 104,or processor execution of a specific utility, e.g., PNE utility 112,without limitation. Also, method 600 is described with reference tocomponents and features of FIG. 4, which provide specific illustrationsof components described by method 600. Method 600 begins at start blockand proceeds to block 602 at which PNE utility 412 is opened on the UE1170. Once opened, the PNE utility 412 configures the processor 404 togenerate and display a user interface 414 providing selectable optionsfor identifying which events will trigger the generating of an NDEsignal and at least one of (i) a type of NDE signal to generate and (ii)when to transit the generated NDE signal, and (iii) which communicationmedium to utilize to transmit the NDE signal. Method 600 then includesPNE utility 412 receiving user selections of events and notificationtypes, as well as the connection settings and APD ID of the APD 100(block 604). The user interface may also allow the user to specify howlong the notification is to be transmitted to the APD 100, such that atime limit is provided on the notification feature. Method 600 thenincludes storing the received selections and settings to an eventsnotification data structure 445.

With the selections stored, PNE utility 412 monitors for the occurrenceof one of the selected events of interest. At decision block 608, method600 determines whether one of the selected events has been detected onUE1 170. Method 600 then includes, in response to detecting anoccurrence of an event 447 that is one of the pre-identified events ofinterest: generating a notification (449) of detected event (NDE) signal175 (block 610); activating the communication mechanism (434) to connectto the peripheral device 100 (block 612); and transmitting the generatednotification 449 (as NDE signal 175) to the identified alert peripheraldevice (e.g., APD 100) via the communication mechanism (434) (block614).

In each of the flow charts presented herein, certain steps of themethods can be combined, performed simultaneously or in a differentorder, or perhaps omitted, without deviating from the spirit and scopeof the described innovation. While the method steps are described andillustrated in a particular sequence, use of a specific sequence ofsteps is not meant to imply any limitations on the innovation. Changesmay be made with regards to the sequence of steps without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the present innovation. Use of a particularsequence is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and thescope of the present innovation is defined only by the appended claims.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of thepresent innovation may be embodied as a system, device, and/or method.Accordingly, embodiments of the present innovation may take the form ofan entirely hardware embodiment or an embodiment combining software andhardware embodiments that may all generally be referred to herein as a“circuit,” “module” or “system.”

Aspects of the present innovation are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinnovation. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

While the innovation has been described with reference to exemplaryembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of the innovation. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular system,device or component thereof to the teachings of the innovation withoutdeparting from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intendedthat the innovation not be limited to the particular embodimentsdisclosed for carrying out this innovation, but that the innovation willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote anyorder or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are usedto distinguish one element from another.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the innovation.As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present innovation has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the innovation in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the innovation. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the innovation and the practical application, and toenable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the innovationfor various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. An alert device that provides a sensorynotification to a user of a mobile device, the alert device comprising:a communication interface configured to receive one or more notificationsignals from the mobile device; a pressure sensor configured to detectinteraction with a surface portion of the alert device; and a controllercommunicatively coupled to each of the communication interface and thepressure sensor, wherein the controller is configured to: establish acommunication link between the communication interface and the mobiledevice; in response to receiving a notification signal from the mobiledevice, cause an alert to be provided to a wearer of the alert device;and in response to the pressure sensor detecting a change in pressure onthe surface portion of the alert device that corresponds to interactionwith the surface portion of the alert device, cause the alert to beinhibited from being provided to the wearer of the alert device.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, further comprising an actuator configured to generatea vibratory pulse to a housing of the alert device.
 3. The device ofclaim 1, further comprising a piezo driver connected to a piezo actuatorthat is configured to generate a vibratory pulse to a housing of thealert device and a pressure sensor that is configured to detect theapplication of external pressure to the alert device.
 4. The device ofclaim 1, further comprising a heat emitter configured to increase atemperature of a housing of the alert device.
 5. The device of claim 1,further comprising a heat sink configured to decrease a temperature of ahousing of the alert device.
 6. The device of claim 1, furthercomprising a thermoelectric plate configured to modify a temperature ofa housing of the alert device.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein thealert device is attached to a rear surface of a watch.
 8. The device ofclaim 1, further comprising one or more light emitting diodes configuredto illuminate a portion of the alert device in a color of a plurality ofcolors, wherein each of the plurality of colors indicates a particularnotification type.
 9. An alert device for providing a sensorynotification to a user of a mobile device, the alert device comprising:a communication interface configured to receive one or more notificationsignals from the mobile device; an actuator configured to generate oneor more alert signals to the user of the alert device; a pressure sensorconfigured to detect interaction with a surface portion of the alertdevice; and a controller communicatively coupled to each of thecommunication interface, the actuator, and the sensor, wherein thecontroller is configured to: establish a communication link between thecommunication interface and the mobile device; receive a notificationsignal from the mobile device through the communication link; inresponse to receiving the notification signal from the mobile device,cause the actuator to provide an alert signal to the alert device; andin response to the pressure sensor detecting a change in pressure on thesurface portion of the alert device that corresponds to interaction withthe surface portion of the alert device, cause the alert signal to beinhibited from being provided to the alert device.
 10. The device ofclaim 9, further comprising a housing configured to allow the alertdevice to physically contact a wearable user equipment and the user,wherein the actuator is embedded in the housing and wherein thecontroller is configured to cause the actuator to provide the alertsignal to the housing of the alert device.
 11. The device of claim 9,wherein the alert signal is a vibratory pulse.
 12. The device of claim9, further comprising a piezo driver connected to a piezo actuator thatis configured to generate a vibratory pulse to a housing of the alertdevice and a pressure sensor that is configured to detect an applicationof external pressure to the alert device.
 13. The device of claim 9,further comprising a thermoelectric plate configured to modify atemperature of a housing of the alert device.
 14. The device of claim 9,wherein the alert device is attached to a rear surface of a watch. 15.The device of claim 9, further comprising one or more light emittingdiodes configured to illuminate a portion of the alert device in a colorof a plurality of colors, wherein each of the plurality of colorsindicates a particular notification type.